Greater Manchester’s integrated care board is the only one in England to decline the Palantir-built federated data platform, citing its own homegrown capabilities.
Key facts
- •Greater Manchester is the only integrated care board in England that has declined the Palantir-built federated data platform.
- •The region developed its own data capabilities alongside British universities, NHS clinicians, and domestic firms.
- •The domestic alternative in Greater Manchester is currently operational.
- •Critics of the current NHS digital strategy warn against excessive reliance on a small number of dominant overseas technology companies.
Greater Manchester’s integrated care board has opted against using the Palantir-built federated data platform, remaining the only NHS region in England to do so. The board concluded that its own data infrastructure, developed in collaboration with British universities, NHS clinicians, and domestic technology firms, is superior to the imported alternative.
Development of Domestic Infrastructure
The region has spent nine years operating without Palantir, relying instead on a system built through local partnerships. Supporters of this approach argue that the existing domestic infrastructure is already functional and effectively manages health data without the need for overseas technology providers.
Concerns Over Technology Reliance
There is ongoing debate regarding the increasing dependence of the NHS on cloud infrastructure, AI, and data management systems provided by a small number of dominant, primarily American, technology companies. Proponents of the Greater Manchester model suggest that the government should prioritize domestic alternatives to ensure sovereign health data infrastructure.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by The Guardian Health.
